Trump says Iran's shooting of an American drone is a 'huge mistake.'

Le corps des gardes de la révolution islamique iranien avait précédemment déclaré qu'il avait démantelé le drone de surveillance après son entrée dans l'espace aérien de son pays. Le Pentagone a déclaré que l'incident s'était produit dans l'espace aérien international.

Washington:

US President Donald Trump downplayed Iran's shooting down an American military drone on Thursday, saying he suspected it had been fired by mistake and that "it would have made a big difference" if the remotely controlled aircraft had been flown.

While the comments seemed to suggest that Trump was in no hurry to escalate the latest in a series of incidents with Iran, he also warned that "this country will not tolerate it."

Tehran said that the unarmed Global Hawk surveillance drone was on a spy mission on its territory, but that Washington had claimed to have been shot down in international airspace.

"I think Iran probably made a mistake. I guess it was a general or someone who made a mistake in shooting down that drone," Trump told the press.

"We didn't have anyone in the drone. It would have made a big difference, let me tell you, it would have made a big difference" if the plane had been flown, " said Trump in his meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the Oval Office.

The United States, which described the event as an"unprovoked attack" in international airspace, is pursuing a campaign to isolate Iran in order to contain its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes and limit its role in regional wars.

This incident was the latest in a series of escalation in the Gulf region, a vital artery for the world's oil supply. Since mid-May, six oil tankers have been hit by explosive fire as Teheran and Washington prepare for confrontation.

It was not known how the United States would react and Democratic president of the United States Congress, Nancy Pelosi, said that Washington had no appetite for war with Iran.

"It's hard to believe it was intentional, if you want to know the truth. I think it could have been someone who was cowardly and stupid that day," Trump said, referring to the drone being fired.

The Trump administration called the top congressional leaders to the White House for a briefing on Thursday on Iran,an informed source said.

Iran has denied any involvement in oil attacks, but concern over a new conflagration in the Middle East disrupting oil exports has led to higher crude oil prices.

Saudi Arabia, the main ally of the Gulf, has stated that Iran has created a "situation of aggression" and that the kingdom is currently consulting other Arab states in the Gulf.

Tensions with Iran have exacerbated Trump's withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and have escalated as Washington imposed new sanctions to strangle Tehran's vital oil trade. Iran responded earlier this week by threatening to violate the limits of its nuclear activities imposed by the agreement.

SPY DRONE

Iranian media reported that the " spy " drone was shot down in the province of Hormozgan, in southern Iran, in the Gulf, with a locally manufactured "3 Khordad" missile.

An American official said that the drone had been shot down in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one third of the oil transported by sea leave the Gulf. An American official described this drone as an MQ-4C Triton, a similar aircraft.

An American official said that the drone, a Global Hawk RQ-4A, was shot down in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-third of the hydrocarbons transported by sea leave the Gulf. drone like a Triton, a similar plane.

Navy Captain Bill Urban, spokesman for the US Army central Command, said the Iranian story of the drone flying over Iranian territory was false.

"This was an unprovoked attack on an American surveillance element in international airspace," said Urban. The drone, he added, was shot down in the Strait of Hormuz around 23: 35 GMT - early in the morning of local time in the Gulf.

Separately, an American official told Reuters anonymously that the drone's debris field was in the international waters of the Strait and that American naval assets had been sent to the area.

The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the drone violated Iranian airspace and warned against the consequences of such "illegal and provocative"measures.

Independent confirmation of the location of the drone when it was shot down was not immediately available.

A statement from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards stated that the drone's identification transponder was turned off "in violation of aviation rules and was circulating in the utmost secrecy" when it was shot down, Iranian broadcaster IRIB reported.

IRANIAN " RED LINE"

"Our airspace is our red line and Iran has always responded and will continue to respond strongly to any country that violates our airspace," Ali Shamkhani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, told the Iranian news agency Tasnim.

Northrop Grumman, the manufacturer of Global Hawk, indicates on its website that it can fly more than 24 hours at a time at an altitude greater than 16 km.

Washington announced on Monday that it would deploy about 1,000 additional troops, as well as Patriot missiles and manned and unmanned surveillance aircraft, to the Middle East, in addition to an increase of 1,500 troops announced after the May tankist attacks .

The Trump administration on Wednesday sought to rally global support for its pressure on Iran by posting fragments of shrapnel mines allegedly destroyed by an oil tanker damaged in the 13 June attacks, claiming that this device was very similar to the mines publicly exposed during Iranian military parades.

European diplomats have said that more evidence is needed to identify the responsibilities of the oil strikes.

US sanctions have hit Iran's economy, blocking its oil exports and pushing it away from the dollar-dominated global financial system. This cancels the promise of commercial rewards in the 2015 agreement to limit its nuclear ambitions.

Trump has sent forces, including aircraft carriers, bombers B-52 and troops to the Middle East in recent weeks. Iran declared last week that it was responsible for the security of the Strait of Hormuz, calling on US forces to leave the Gulf.